convexing?better?

Some love them, some hate them. IMO they're harder to take care of in the field but they are stronger edges.

I have Bark rivers that are convex and I love them. All my RAT's are v grind and I love them.
 
It takes a learning curve to maintain them. Personally, I think they do better at slicing. Basically all I do when I convert mine is I smooth bevel/blade junction. I actually don't really convex to the very edge, I am simply rounding out the part where the 2nd bevel and the blade meet. The act of doing this also tends to smooth out the coating right where the bevel ends which I think really helps in slicing. It makes absolutely no difference in cutting, i.e. you won't see a difference push cutting paper or shaving hair. Where you see a difference is slicing thick, resistant material. Think of cheese, tomatoes. Now thing about wood during batoning. Same thing.

As I stated above, since I don't really touch the edge after converting the bevels to a convex, I simply maintain the edge like I do a normal v-grind. This works plenty fine. When a new 2nd bevel starts to creep up and get noticeable after many, many, many sharpenings, I then go back to the conversion process again.
 
kgd said:
It takes a learning curve to maintain them. Personally, I think they do better at slicing. Basically all I do when I convert mine is I smooth bevel/blade junction. I actually don't really convex to the very edge, I am simply rounding out the part where the 2nd bevel and the blade meet. The act of doing this also tends to smooth out the coating right where the bevel ends which I think really helps in slicing. It makes absolutely no difference in cutting, i.e. you won't see a difference push cutting paper or shaving hair. Where you see a difference is slicing thick, resistant material. Think of cheese, tomatoes. Now thing about wood during batoning. Same thing.

As I stated above, since I don't really touch the edge after converting the bevels to a convex, I simply maintain the edge like I do a normal v-grind. This works plenty fine. When a new 2nd bevel starts to creep up and get noticeable after many, many, many sharpenings, I then go back to the conversion process again.
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That's what I do, too. :)
 
theonew said:
I'm pretty good at it now but still can't keep a perfect V :D
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Lock your arms (one hand on the handle, the other supporting the spine of the knife) and rotate from the waist to create the motion across the stone. It works. :D
 
I thought that convexes are easier to take care of in the field because all you need is a strop.
 
theonew said:
Too ghey :p
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In all seriousness it was actually a technique I picked up when I worked as a parts polisher for a local yacht company. Worked well for controlling the grinder so you wouldn't get dips in a big flat surface. :)

But yes, it looks a bit...odd. :p
 
took the shoulders off the bevel on my rc-4 and stropped the bejesus out of it. Twice the slicer it used to be.
Not convexed but it is a start.
 
The important thing, whether convex or "V" grind, is that it is sharp, and does what you want. Convex vs. "V" is a personal preference. I convex all of mine right now, but am thinking of going back to "V" on a few, just for the nostalgia. I personally question whether a convex is actualy stronger. Either way, if it is sharp, and cuts what you need it too, what difference does it really make?
 
Kbrasmodeler said:
The important thing, whether convex or "V" grind, is that it is sharp, and does what you want. Convex vs. "V" is a personal preference. I convex all of mine right now, but am thinking of going back to "V" on a few, just for the nostalgia. I personally question whether a convex is actualy stronger. Either way, if it is sharp, and cuts what you need it too, what difference does it really make?
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If you convert a v-grind to a convex, then the convex will be weaker not stronger then the original grind simply because you removed metal in the process of the conversion. Arguably this is why its a better slicer also - you've removed metal from the blade.

If you have two knives with the same spine thickness and one is full convex and the other is flat + V-grind or sabre grind, then the full convex will enable you to get the same edge angle while at the same time leaving more metal backing the edge. So between two knives that are identical in all attributes except the grind, then convex will be stronger.

So convexing your rats will weaken the edge not strength it. It will also increase slicing ability. Will it weaken your edge significantly? I don't thing so. I've yet to roll my rats convexed doing all the same things I do to them in the V-grind state.

The other way you can get better slicing performance out of say your RC-4 is to decrease the edge angle from 40 degrees to 30 degrees. Here you are thinning out the edge as well as creeping the bevel upwards toward the spine. Personally, I think doing this weakens the edge more, because metal is removed both at the shoulder and at the edge compared to the convex conversion which removes metal at the shoulders but leaves the edge alone. Of course, decreasing the angle of the V-grind will improve both cutting (push cutting and hair shaving) and also slicing. The convex, without touching the edge, only improves slicing.
 
Just as there are many different flat grinds, there are many convex grinds. They can be thick at the edge, thin at the edge, edge convex, full convex, etc. The strength or lack of is related to the edge angle and thickness, regardless of grind type. I have a convex machete that has much more metal behind the edge than any scandi, and I have a convex kitchen knife that makes a thin V-grind look robust.

Convex vs. V-grind is like asking if cars are better than trucks. There are many combinations, and many uses.

The best argument I have heard for convex edges was meat cutting along bones, as the blade could be controlled well due to the rounded edge along the bone, and the other rounded side pulled the meat, making it easier to cut as the edge hit it.
 
zixxer said:
harder to take care of?

aren't they easier to maintain?
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xDogsoldierx said:
wells thats what I heard
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Some folks say you can maintain a convex edge in the field with just a strop but without sandpaper in your kit your going to be there for a while with a strop trying to get any type of edge damage out of your blade.

All I carry with me in the field is a DMT folding sharpening stone and I can do anything from touch-ups to a full rebevel if need be.

I also use a stone on my convexed blades from time to time. It works but takes me some time when I get home to clean them up and put a proper convex back on. I just use it in the same fashion as sandpaper/mousepad but I use almost no pressure and slowly angle the blade out to the tip then strop on my belt a touch.

Tony watched me do it a few weeks ago and laughed at me the whole time but it got my wifes blade back in action after cutting up something she should have been using a rock knife on instead of a Mikro.:D
 
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